by Lauren Smith
“Dismissed?” Audrey tilted her head to one side, puzzled. “Why would I dismiss you?”
“Because I deceived Lord Pembroke and acted above my station.”
Again, her mistress gazed at her, her head still tilted at a slight angle, her brown eyes bright.
“Perhaps someone else would dismiss you, but we aren’t simply lady and lady’s maid, Gillian. We are friends. I know you almost as well as you know yourself. I don’t believe you were acting poorly with Lord Pembroke. He made an assumption, and you did not correct him. That is a matter we can worry about later. What is important is that you were unharmed. I wish for you to rest tonight. Sean will watch over you.”
“And you will stay here, my lady? Stay safe?” Gillian pressed.
“I will stay safe,” Audrey assured her. “Now let’s get you into bed so you can rest.”
Gillian left Audrey’s study and climbed the flight of stairs to her private bedroom. Sean brought her another cup of tea and a bowl of soup, which smelled divine. After she’d eaten, she lay down on her narrow bed, pulled her quilt around her body, and closed her eyes. So much had happened today—things that had been frightening and things that had been wonderful.
She knew what she had done concerning James was wrong. She was not a lady like Audrey. But for just a few hours she’d forgotten how tired and anxious she was and how stifling her life as a maid could be. She was simply herself, Gillian, and she had kissed a wonderful and attractive nobleman.
She replayed their heated moment in the bookshop, burning it into her memory. It would keep her warm in the long, lonely nights to come. Gillian would never be a lady like her mistress, but she could let herself imagine what might have been were she Lord Pembroke’s lady. A tear fell from her closed eyes, dampening her pillow.
I am a wicked maid for thinking such thoughts, but I wish I could be his wicked maid.
Thank you so much for reading this short story about Gillian and James! Be sure to sign up for my newsletter at www.laurensmithbooks.com so don’t miss their full story which comes out March 2018 - The Earl of Pembroke- as part of the Wicked Earl’s Club. Turn the page to see the cover and to start reading Audrey and Jonathan’s Story!
His Wicked Lessons
A Short Story
Chapter 1
Audrey Sheridan’s eyes might have been on her reflection in her vanity mirror, but her mind was focused inward. Tonight, she was to embark on a dangerous mission: infiltrating a hellfire club in order to expose the members and their sordid acts to London society.
As the secret columnist Lady Society, she prided herself on the articles she wrote for The Quizzing Glass Gazette. She did not write silly little pieces of fluff on who was marrying whom or who had worn the latest fashions from Paris well—though she did so love to talk about fashion. Her articles were designed to push the boundaries of society.
After all, the ton, if left to itself, would remain complacent and unmoved. A stagnant ground bereft of new ideas and enshrining only old ones. A place where progress would not be tolerated, let alone embraced.
A smile curved her lips as she relished the thought of how tonight’s foray into a dangerous club would shock everyone. She would be incognito, of course, but still, once she wrote the article exposing the gentlemen who belonged to the hellfire club, all of London would be shocked by the idea of the mysterious Lady Society being in such danger and surviving with her identity still shrouded in mystery.
The problem was keeping her older brother, Cedric, and his friends, the League of Rogues, from discovering her plans. They were all such dears, but Lord, they could be so overprotective of her. She might as well have five older brothers rather than just one. Ever since their parents had died when she was a child, Cedric had become more than a brother—he’d transformed into a fierce guardian. He would’ve wrapped her in a giant ball of muslin to protect her if he could.
“There you are, my lady.” Her lady’s maid, Gillian Beaumont, tucked one delicate curl into place in Audrey’s coiffure.
Audrey gazed at her maid in the mirror, wanting to see if the young woman would smile back. Gillian was so serious all the time. She and Audrey were both nineteen, but Gillian seemed so forlorn at times, as though she had lived many lifetimes before this, and none had ended well. It was Audrey who insisted on involving her maid in her wild schemes. She wanted her friend to live a little.
“Perfect. I have to look my best today. The League is coming over for tea in an hour and…” Audrey’s cheeks heated as she could no longer push away the thought of the man who would soon be under her roof. She knew Gillian would assume she was going to stay here while they came for tea, but that was the last thing Audrey wanted. It had become painfully obvious that Jonathan St. Laurent did not want anything to do with her. He’d made his intentions perfectly clear last Christmas when he’d all but fled the room once she had attempted to seduce him.
He wants nothing to do with me, so I won’t stay here and be polite.
Her feelings were bruised. More than bruised. She’d fallen in love with Jonathan soon after she’d met him and had dreamed of no other man since. Although her feelings toward him hadn’t changed, she had her pride and was tired of trying to woo him.
“And Mr. St. Laurent will be there?” her maid asked.
“Err… I suppose so,” she hedged. She really didn’t want to speak of Jonathan anymore. “Gillian, could you run a few errands for me today? I believe we have a few articles to post in the Quizzing Glass Gazette that will need to run in the next few weeks. Would you mind seeing to that for me?”
She pulled the bodice of her gown up a little. The blue cambric muslin was a sensible choice, but the flare of the lavender gauze on the hem made her feel like a fairy queen. Everyone poked fun at her love of fashion, but none of them understood it was part of her power, with far greater range than any suspected. She could disguise herself as a lad or dress the part of a queen to great effect. She tilted her head as she realized Gillian hadn’t answered her. Her maid was staring into the distance, her hands absently playing with a bit of her own gown.
“Well? Do you mind very much?”
Gillian’s eyes widened and she focused on Audrey. “Of course, my apologies, my lady. I was woolgathering. Yes, leave me the articles, and I will see them placed in the proper hands.”
“Excellent.” Audrey walked to her escritoire, withdrew three articles she had carefully packaged, and handed them to Gillian.
“Do you need anything else, my lady?” Gillian asked.
“Not at the moment. Oh, and remember, tonight we will be going to that hellfire club.”
Her maid stiffened, and the paper she held crinkled. “My lady, I really don’t think we should—”
Audrey tapped her foot and crossed her arms. “Gillian, you know that awful Gerald Langley belongs to that club. What was it called?” She searched her memory. “Sinners and Sadists, no… Wait!” She lifted a finger in the air. “The Unholy Sinners of Hell.”
Gillian openly flinched. “Must we go tonight? The men could be dangerous.”
Dangerous? Lord, she hoped so. Life could be so tedious as a gently-bred lady. She craved the same freedom as men did to run about doing whatever they pleased.
“Nonsense. We should be perfectly fine. They allow ladies to attend their unholy festivities, and if we bring along Charles and his valet as escorts, we shall be quite safe.”
Gillian stared at her. “Lord Lonsdale? He’s not exactly a man of sterling reputation. You remember the swans. Everyone was so scandalized.”
Audrey couldn’t resist giggling. The swans. Everyone loved the swan story. “Of course I do. I was there. Charles isn’t so bad. I had a bloody hard time trying to kiss him, you remember. He’s more of a gentleman than he lets on.”
Her maid gave a little huff and walked toward the door, but Audrey suddenly remembered one more thing she needed Gillian to do, which would keep her safely occupied while Audrey ran off this afternoon to pursue her
training as a spy. She knew Gillian would disapprove, but Audrey had to do something, had to have some adventures.
“The dresses! I completely forgot. You must go to Madame Ella’s and retrieve the gowns. Try them on to make sure they fit,” Audrey said. She trusted the dressmaker’s skill, but sometimes she wanted to give Gillian a taste of the life the other woman would never have the chance to experience. She was the daughter of an earl and would have been above Audrey under different circumstances, yet she had been forced into domestic service to keep her mother in decent living conditions. But Gillian was all alone now, except for Audrey, and she would not let Gillian fade away. Women needed to help one another.
Gillian sighed, her shoulders drooping as she nodded.
“Thank you.” She escorted her maid to the door and gave her an encouraging little push. Audrey stood at the top of the stairs, watching her friend depart.
“Have fun today. You deserve it,” she whispered, hoping that Gillian would use the day to be free of her role as a servant, just as Audrey would be free this afternoon of her own bondage as a highborn lady. When she was positive her watchful maid was gone, she returned to her room and checked her appearance once more, then removed the letter hidden in her dress pocket. She slipped out and read it again.
Miss Sheridan,
I will be happy to give you lessons in the arts of which we spoke, but you must be sure to come alone to the Midnight Garden. I cannot meet you at my residence. Be sure to arrive at half past one o’clock. Hire a coach and have it drop you off by the mews. A servant will be waiting to bring you inside.
Evangeline Mirabeau
Audrey carefully tore the letter into tiny pieces and tucked them into a drawer to dispose of later. She collected her reticule and checked the clock on the mantle. It was almost one o’clock now. She ought to leave before the League arrived for tea. If she had to explain why she was running off, her brother might suspect she was up to something… which she most certainly was.
As she exited her room again and started down the stairs, her sister-in-law Anne came out of the library, beaming at her.
“Audrey! I’m so glad I found you. Cedric and I would like to speak with you before everyone arrives.”
Anne was positively glowing, and Audrey suspected the news her brother wanted to share involved a little Sheridan on the way. But she wouldn’t spoil their moment of joy by letting them know she’d guessed. For the past week she’d watched her brother and Anne whisper to each other over breakfast and share secret smiles.
Audrey attempted to ignore a little prickle of envy. She wanted to be married to a man and love him the way Anne loved her brother. But Jonathan did not want her, and no other man had moved her the way he did. Therefore, she resolved to go it alone and become the proverbial spinster, but secretly live a life of spying and intrigue, assuming that Evangeline Mirabeau could help her learn the craft properly. Audrey knew she had to possess some skills to have uncovered society’s secrets and go undetected as Lady Society for so long.
Anne slipped her arm through Audrey’s, and they walked into her brother’s study. Cedric was seated at his desk, the midday sun illuminating him as he read through a stack of letters.
“Cedric, I found Audrey.” Anne flashed her warm smile, let go of Audrey’s arm, and then walked over to her husband and kissed his cheek. Her brother grinned as he pushed his letters aside and stood. He curled one arm around Anne’s waist, his brown eyes twinkling.
“Ah, good. I suppose Anne said we had news to share with you?”
“Yes.” Audrey waited, letting them enjoy their news. She was so happy for them. Cedric had been blinded last Christmas and had all but lost his will to live. Marriage had saved him in more ways than one. His sight had returned and his spirits too. They both deserved great joy in their lives.
“We are expecting. It’s still early yet, but we are quite hopeful.”
Audrey’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at her brother and his wife. They were both radiant with their love and the promise of their first child.
“Oh, Cedric, that is the most wonderful news!” She rushed over to him and embraced them both. Her brother let go of Anne to hug Audrey fiercely.
“I hope you don’t mind being the doting aunt to our little one when the babe arrives?”
“Of course not!” She sniffed and wiped her eyes as he let go of her. Their other sister, Horatia, was also pregnant, but since she and Lucien lived in a separate townhouse, Audrey wouldn’t see their child as much as this one under her own roof.
“But don’t feel that you must stay,” Anne said, her tone serious. “All we want is for you to be happy, and it seems that lately…” Anne glanced at Cedric, sharing a worried look.
“That what?” Audrey asked.
“That you are lonely. I hate seeing you so Friday-faced, kitten.” Cedric chucked her under her chin the way he had so often over the years. He had always looked out for her, always put her interests first. He’d been forced to grow up far too quickly and had become both father and mother to his sisters. Now he was ready to become a father to his own child, and she didn’t wish to be a burden, but the truth was she couldn’t live on her own. It wasn’t done. Society thrust women into gilded cages, and they had no true independence.
“You used to be thrilled at the thought of balls and suitors. I promised to stop challenging your gentlemen callers, what has changed?” Cedric, as always, saw through her. But she didn’t want to ruin his happy news by forcing her own concerns and sorrows on him.
She painted a bright smile upon her lips. “I’m fine.”
“But—”
“I’ve been so melancholy of late because the fashions I like in gowns have changed. It can quite ruin a lady’s happiness to change her wardrobe because of rising waistlines and fuller skirts.” She giggled, though the sound rang false in her ears.
“Er…right.” Cedric hesitated, his brotherly instincts warning him that something was amiss. She could see the suspicion in his eyes but hoped he wouldn’t continue to press her.
A knock on the study door had them all turning to see a footman there.
“My lord, your afternoon guests have arrived,” the lad said.
Cedric’s worries evaporated as he faced Anne. “Ready to share the good news with the League?”
Anne nodded, a blush stealing upon her cheeks. “I can’t wait. Three babes so close in age. It will be wonderful.” Two others from the League were expecting children—which included Horatia and her husband Lucien.
“Indeed,” Cedric agreed. Audrey stepped back to let them pass by her into the corridor. Her heart was beating rapidly. She knew who might be there.
Jonathan.
She didn’t want to face him, not after the last time they’d been alone together. He’d dragged her away from Fives Court, where she’d been disguised as a boy to watch Charles in a boxing match. She’d been so confident then that her disguise had been good, but he’d seen right through her. He’d been furious she’d gone to such a place, especially disguised as a man. She had been exasperated with him and then furious when he’d dragged her away by her arm like a naughty child.
He’d taken her straight home in a coach, lecturing her the entire journey. She hadn’t forgotten their argument. She had screamed at him that she wasn’t a child, and he’d told her, “I’ll believe that when you start acting like the fine lady you’re supposed to be.”
Fine lady. Jonathan didn’t know the first thing about fine ladies. He had been raised as a servant, after all. The thought made her wince, not because he had once been a servant—she was not snobbish—but she knew he was sensitive on the matter. He’d only learned some months earlier that he was the legitimate son of the late Duke of Essex and the half brother of the current duke.
Jonathan had met a cloud of scandal when he was introduced into the ton last fall. The son of the lady’s maid of the late duchess, born after a secret marriage and hidden in plain sight as valet to his own half bro
ther…
None of that mattered to her, of course. She loved a good scandal. It was her forte, after all, as Lady Society.
The entryway exploded with noise as the entire League paraded through the front door. Audrey hung back, leaning against the doorjamb of Cedric’s study as she saw Horatia and her husband Lucien, the Marquess of Rochester, enter first. Godric, the Duke of Essex, and his wife, Emily, came next, followed by Ashton, Baron Lennox and his wife, Rosalind. Charles, the Earl of Lonsdale, was absent, much to Audrey’s concern.
She was worried about Charles. Each time one of the League of Rogues married, it left him more and more closed off. His remoteness was unnatural, yet she understood what he might be feeling. There was something sad about watching her family and friends marry and leave her behind. They didn’t exclude her on purpose, but she felt alone all the same. Charles had to be experiencing similar feelings. It made sense.
“Audrey!” Horatia, as always, sought her out at once. The lovely rose-colored gown she wore was full at the waist as the curve of her unborn child showed. Horatia embraced her tightly, her brown eyes searching Audrey’s.
“You look unwell. Why don’t we go somewhere and talk?” Horatia suggested.
“No, I’m fine, quite fine, I assure you.” She smiled and placed her palm on Horatia’s belly. “How is my future niece or nephew today?”
Her sister beamed. “Lively. He’s been kicking like a devil.”
“He?” Audrey clung to that word.
Horatia chuckled. “I have dreams about the baby and it is always a he. Lucien swears it’s a girl because the trouble she makes when the baby kicks and wakes me up at night.”
“I agree with you, it sounds more like a boy because he’s causing trouble.” Audrey smiled, feeling better as she imagined Horatia and Lucien’s child and the mischief the little boy or girl might get into.
Before she could speak further, the entire League had moved toward the drawing room for tea. Audrey watched them go, but made no move to follow. Instead, she clutched her reticule and headed for the front door. She’d only just reached for the handle when the door opened. Stumbling back, she blinked against the bright light from the doorway and the tall figure silhouetted there.